Isabel Koyama

Philadelphia-based journalist actively searching for work.

Clips

Read some of Koyama's bylines to get a sense of her work thus far. Some may be subscriber-only, and more are available in the media outlets' respective digital archives.

SAQM •

Reflecting on Comfort, Challenge & the Quilts

I’ve been thinking about how much American culture values excessive comfort.

Instantaneous comfort, like a microwaved meal or directions from Siri.

Or material comfort: think gentrification, athleisure and bath salts.

Are those things really comforting?

The Sacred Ally Quilt Ministry’s George Floyd quilts, which spell out his dying words, embody comfort but disrupt it.

They’re items of nurture that were made slowly during pandemic lockdown...
Burlington County Times •

Here's how South Jersey's 911 dispatchers are battling industry pressures

Sometimes, when dispatchers in Salem County are talking to emergency responders, their radios pick up interference from a distant broadcast station.

"When that happens, we can't hear the responding unit," said Kristi Hunter, acting chief of communications for the Salem County Sherriff's Office, 911 Communications Division.

It's a technical difficulty Salem County literally can't afford to have.
Burlington County Times •

South Jersey reacts to Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade

Susan Druckenbrod was in elementary school when Roe v. Wade was first decided, and spent most of her life unconcerned about any restrictions on her reproductive choices.

Now in her 50s, she is co-chair of the committee on racial and economic equity at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Cherry Hill and an avid organizer with South Jersey Progressive Democrats.

“It’s a very heavy day,” Druckenbrod said Friday. “I worry for younger women and what this means for them.”

People are skipping home inspections due to Wisconsin hot market — but that could create big problems in the future

Wisconsin’s home selling market is red hot, driving prospective buyers to pull out the stops — and take big risks — as they rush to close offers.

Some buyers are offering tens of thousands of dollars over the asking price and are making cash offers with no contingencies.

Others are trying to speed up deals by skipping a home inspection – a thorough assessment of a house's systems. And that could spell expensive trouble for both buyers and sellers long after closing.